Forbes Magazine has announced today (3 August 2011) the results of its annual survey of America’s best undergraduate institutions. Williams College, a liberal arts school in Massachusetts with a student population of just over 2,000, has been named the nation’s best college for the second year in a row.
America’s Best Colleges and Universities 2011 : Top 100 List
- Williams College
- Princeton University
- United States Military Academy
- Amherst College
- Stanford University
- Harvard University
- Haverford College
- University of Chicago
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- United States Air Force Academy
- Northwestern University
- Claremont McKenna College
- California Institute of Technology
- Yale University
- Carleton College
- Swarthmore College
- United States Naval Academy
- University of Notre Dame
- Wellesley College
- Colby College
- Brown University
- Duke University
- Pomona College
- Vassar College
- Washington and Lee University
- Boston College
- College of the Holy Cross
- Rice University
- Union College
- Dartmouth College
- Colorado College
- Bates College
- Lafayette College
- Centre College
- Wesleyan University
- Whitman College
- Colgate University
- Bowdoin College
- Tufts University
- Middlebury College
- Scripps College
- Columbia University
- Kenyon College
- Harvey Mudd College
- Emory University
- University of Virginia-Main Campus
- Georgetown University
- Bucknell University
- College of William and Mary
- DePauw University
- Cornell University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Vanderbilt University
- Bryn Mawr College
- University of California-Los Angeles
- Smith College
- Sewanee: The University of the South
- Barnard College
- Dickinson College
- Hillsdale College
- Davidson College
- Connecticut College
- Lawrence University
- St Lawrence University
- Virginia Military Institute
- Wheaton College (IL)
- Santa Clara University
- Grinnell College
- Skidmore College
- University of California-Berkeley
- Hamilton College
- Oberlin College
- Wofford College
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Rhodes College
- Westmont College
- Wake Forest University
- St. Olaf College
- Knox College
- Trinity College
- Furman University
- Boston University
- Mount Holyoke College
- Saint Norbert College
- Saint Anselm College
- Wabash College
- Hobart William Smith Colleges
- Saint Michaels College
- Hampden-Sydney College
- University of Minnesota-Morris
- Brandeis University
- Reed College
- University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
- Transylvania University
- Kalamazoo College
- Willamette University
- United States Coast Guard Academy
- Carnegie Mellon University
- The College of Wooster
- Gettysburg College
America’s Best Colleges and Universities: The Cost of a Tertiary Education
Williams College, the number one college in the 2011 survey – which also ranked first in 2010’s Best College Survey – is highly regarded largely because of its very low student to faculty ratio of seven to one. But this level of personal care and attention comes at a price. The student population of 2,141 are charged annual fees of $54,921. Annual fees at the second ranked college on the list; Princeton University, also exceed $50,000. Students who enroll in America’s third best ranked undergraduate program are not asked to pay any fees at all. This is because the third best ranked school in the country is the United States Military Academy.
Is Tennessee State University America’s Worst College?
Despite including alumni as successful as Oprah Winfrey, Tennessee State University has been ranked been 650th out of the 650 colleges and universities surveyed. Tennessee State University, a state-funded institution which a strong African American history, was originally established as a agricultural and industrial state school. The school first opened its doors to students in 1912 and became a four year teachers’ college in 1922. Tennessee State University has a student population of just under 9,000 and has total annual fees of $28,192.
Forbes Magazine’s Best Colleges and Universities: What Factors Matter?
Forbes Magazine’s annual rankings of the best colleges and universities from across the country in prepared in conjunction with the Center for College Affordability and Productivity. Its rankings are based on five general categories:
- Student Satisfaction (27.5%)
- Post-Graduate Success (30%)
- Student Debt (17.5%)
- Four-year Graduation Rate (17.5%)
- Competitive Awards (7.5%)
The 650 colleges and universities ranked by the survey all award undergraduate degrees or certificates requiring four or more years of study, according to the United State Department of Education
Of the 650 schools included in the 2011 survey, 608 were previously included in the Forbes' 2010 college and university rankings.
Cate Allan - Cate Allan is a Melbourne-based writer and editor. She has published widely on language, travel and the arts.
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